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Jacksonville Jaguars: Allen Hurns is special, but not really

By Sayre Bedinger

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Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns is special, but not really.

He runs a 4.55. His vertical jump is 31-inches. He can bench press 225 pounds 14 times. His 3-cone drill?

7.23 seconds…

There is nothing special about Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns…Except this:

An undrafted free agent in 2014 (for good reason), Hurns was a no-name out of Miami who came out of nowhere to lead the hapless Hurricanes in receiving his senior season. He caught 62 passes in 2013 with 1,162 yards and six touchdowns, catching the eyes of the in-state Jacksonville Jaguars, who offered him a free agent deal after the draft.

The Jaguars used their top pick in 2014 on quarterback Blake Bortles out of UCF, and then followed that up by picking him a pair of receivers in the second round in Penn State’s Allen Robinson and USC’s Marqise Lee. Hurns was nothing more than a camp body — or so it seemed.

Not only did the undrafted rookie earn a roster spot, he earned the trust of Jaguars quarterbacks. He was targeted 97 times in 2014 and wound up catching 51 passes for 677 yards. So far in 2015, Hurns has developed into the Jags’ clear #2 receiver behind 2014 classmate Allen Robinson, and has hauled in 48 passes on 80 targets for 758 yards.

He’s phenomenal in the red zone, great after the catch, and knows how to move the chains. From his rookie season to present time, Hurns’ yards per catch average has jumped from 13.3 to 15.8. He has 36 first down catches this season compared to 26 a year ago.

The improvement hasn’t been lost on anyone — not Jaguars coaches, teammates, fans, or even fantasy football owners. Hurns was one of the top underrated pickups in fantasy football this year, and here’s the big reason why…

In 11 games this season, Hurns has caught seven touchdown passes. You saw in the highlight reel above the number of different ways he’s capable of doing it as a weapon in the passing game, but what you might not be aware of is that since the start of his rookie season in 2014, Hurns has 13 touchdown grabs.

Calvin Johnson has 14.

I’m not saying Hurns is Calvin Johnson, but he’s been incredibly productive for Jacksonville, despite the fact that they are still losing along the way. He’s been as valuable to Blake Bortles’ development in this league as anyone, and he’s one of the unsung heroes of the league right now.

Certainly, he’s one of the best players to watch.

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Like I stated at the beginning of this post, there’s nothing really special about Hurns. He doesn’t look it. He doesn’t athletically test it. He just plays like it.

This is a special football player not because of what he can do in a bunch of tight Under Armour gear, but what he can do with a helmet and shoulder pads. When you put him between the hash marks and snap the football, he can make people miss. He can certainly catch the ball.

And oh yeah — he can score it.

The key for a player like Hurns is consistency. He suffered a scary looking injury and is thankfully being called by coach Gus Bradley “day to day”.

As the Jaguars continue their ‘rebuilding’ project and uncertainty of whether or not the franchise will stay where it’s at, Hurns has provided a fresh breath of consistency — some actual optimism. He has epitomized toughness, and has made some plays this season and last that leave you wondering how these types of guys slip through the cracks.

There’s an old cliche that says hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. So what’s the big difference between Hurns and some of his ‘Class of 2014’ mates, including teammate Marqise Lee?

You tell me.

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